21-year-old in critical condition after being rescued from rip current

by Nicole Griffin

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Atlantic Beach, CARTERET COUNTY - A 21-year-old man is in critical condition after being rescued from a rip current in Atlantic Beach Sunday morning according to the Atlantic Beach Fire Department.

According to the fire department, the man went into cardiac arrest and was flown to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. He is reportedly in critical condition.

The 21-year-old was among five people who were in distress when firefighters arrived at the unprotected section of the beach. The 21-year-old man and another woman needed medical attention.

"We made access with the jet skis and EMS unit to the location on the beach. We got on scene and there were multiple victims, CPR was being performed on one of the victims," said Kevin White, Shift Captain at Atlantic Beach Fire Department.

"The other was doing OK. She was transported to the hospital and is in good condition. The second victim. the one who had CPR on him, they got a heartbeat back at the hospital."

NewsChannel 12 asked if there have been any discussions about expanding lifeguard areas or adding more flags to unprotected areas.

"There are ways for the public to find out about this. If they contact the local fire departments, some of the hotels have warnings about rip currents," said White.